Best AI tools for image generation
3 tools we'd consider, best first.
#1Midjourney
paidFrom $10/mo (Basic) · No free tier ✓ checked 2026-10-16
Top-tier artistic image quality; no free plan.
- Sign up at midjourney.com and choose a plan (no free tier)
- Type a prompt in the Imagine bar on the web app
- Use Vary, Upscale or Edit on the image you like
How people use it (3)
Used Midjourney to recreate a childhood memory as a birthday present.
Try: Warm nostalgic photo, two kids on a 1990s back porch at sunset, film grain
Combined Midjourney with Magnific, Premiere, After Effects and Topaz; workflow shared in the thread.
Try: Moody film still, a figure running through a rain-soaked alley at night, 35mm
Created a basketball image in Midjourney, then animated it with Kling.
Try: A cinematic basketball player mid-dunk in a neon-lit arena, 16:9
#2Ideogram
freemiumFrom $20/mo (Plus, monthly) · Free tier available ✓ checked 2026-10-16
Best at readable text inside images.
- Sign up at ideogram.ai
- Write a prompt with the exact text you want in quotes
- Pick a style/aspect ratio, then download or remix
How people use it (1)
Turned a funny idea into a t-shirt design with one prompt.
Try: Angry goose holding a baseball bat — 'Don't Honk With Me' — cartoon t-shirt design
#3Adobe Firefly
freemiumfreemium
Commercially safer image generation inside Adobe apps.
- Sign in at firefly.adobe.com with an Adobe ID
- Choose Text to Image (or video) and enter a prompt
- Refine with style references, then download or send to Photoshop
How people use it
Used Midjourney to recreate a childhood memory as a birthday present.
Try: Warm nostalgic photo, two kids on a 1990s back porch at sunset, film grain
Combined Midjourney with Magnific, Premiere, After Effects and Topaz; workflow shared in the thread.
Try: Moody film still, a figure running through a rain-soaked alley at night, 35mm
Created a basketball image in Midjourney, then animated it with Kling.
Try: A cinematic basketball player mid-dunk in a neon-lit arena, 16:9
Turned a funny idea into a t-shirt design with one prompt.
Try: Angry goose holding a baseball bat — 'Don't Honk With Me' — cartoon t-shirt design
Featured placement on task pages. Clearly labelled, never mixed into our rankings.